


Devil Child

by Anachronistic_Cat



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Fig tranced until her horns started coming in, Fig-centric, Gen, Lack of Sleep, POV Second Person, Surreal, and carving out who you are from what people think you should be, finding out you aren't who you thought you were, learning things about yourself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23418256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anachronistic_Cat/pseuds/Anachronistic_Cat
Summary: An exploration of how Fig might have felt during the process of going from elf to tiefling,
Relationships: Figueroth Faeth & Gilear Faeth (referenced), Sandralynn Faeth & Figeuroth Faeth (referenced), past Gilear Faeth/Sandralynn Faeth (referenced)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 56





	Devil Child

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the fact that in fantasy high Fig grew up as a wood elf and tranced until puberty, and the thought that suddenly having to sleep after a lifetime without it must be terrifying.
> 
> our girl was going through alot and the family issues didn't make it any easier

It starts with a headache. It starts with a headache and dulled thoughts and yawns and tired eyes. It starts with ineffective trances and a type of exhaustion unlike any you’ve ever felt.  
Bone deep weight and fuzzy sight, it is so so hard to pay attention, to stay cheery, to stay bubbly.  
It starts with a headache. You write it off at first, you’ve been staying up late, not trancing long enough. That's It.  
It starts with a headache, a head full of cotton, and you blame it on an inexplicable exhaustion. But it builds. It builds and builds and builds. From fuzzy thoughts to dull pressure to throbbing temples and it is so so painful.  
You haven’t been trancing long enough. That is all. (nevermind that you’ve been getting a full four hours. Nevermind that you’ve been getting more) What else could it be, after all?  
Days, Weeks, Months pass in this state until the day you lie down to trance and the world starts..... to drift.........away.................. 

The fade to Black is terrifying. The pain, the drifting from consciousness, are you Dying? You must be Dying. You jolt upright from terror. You tell your mom and she looks terrified and you don’t fully understand why and she won’t talk to you. You stop trying to trance. Each time The Darkness covers your vision and pulls your thoughts away. It is terrifying. So you Stop.  
It started with a headache, and it has only gotten worse and worse and worse. The throbbing in your forehead, the sharp feeling beneath your skin.  
You look in the mirror and do not recognise the girl there. Dark bags under her eyes, and lumps forming on her forehead. You cover them with hair and illusions. This cannot be happening.  
Deny  
Deny  
Deny  
Because if this is real you have no idea what it could mean.  
Your parents have begun to fight. Hushed whispers behind the door and words shouted that you do not yet understand.  
The skin has started to split on your scalp. you find blood in your hair. you are so so tired but you don't know why.  
You got a sunburn last month that has yet to fade. It doesn’t hurt somehow, but your skin is redder than it’s ever been and seems to be getting redder. (nevermind that you’ve been inside on your crystal because it keeps you from trancing, keeps you from thinking)  
Your skull is splitting. Your head is bleeding and you are so so …………………… tired…………………………..

After weeks of not trancing you finally pass out from sheer exhaustion.  
After weeks of not trancing you finally fall A s l e e p.

Your parents panic, and you are surprised to wake up in the hospital,  
Surprised to wake up at all.

And the pain in your head is lessened. You can think again, head finally clear from clouds of exhaustion, the sharp skin-splitting is gone as well but

There are horns peeking out above your hair. There is still a slight pain of them growing and you can feel the wind on them. The healers give you cream and polish to reduce the sensitivity but  
There are horns peeking out above your hair.  
There are horns peeking out above your hair and your skin is still bright red. 

There are horns peeking above your hair but your parents are elves.  
There are horns peeking above your hair and your mom looks ashamed.

There are horns peeking above your hair and your dad isn't your dad, and your mom cheated on him and you are a living embodiment of betrayal

There are horns peeking above your hair and your dad leaves.  
He leaves and he calls you terrible things  
And he leaves and he says “You’re not a Faeth”  
And he leaves and he calls you a demon, he calls you a devil  
And he leaves just as your entire world, life, existence is upheaved,  
And he leaves just when you needed him the most.

So fine. If they’ll call you a devil, a demon, the spawn of the pit, then that's what you'll be. You’ll listen to harsh music and dress in black and red and silver and harsh shapes and spiked chains.  
If they’ll call you a devil then that’s what you’ll be. You toss out the dresses and pom-poms and cheerful smile and you dye your hair purple and paint your lips black and scowl and smirk and drink and smoke.  
If they’ll call you a devil, then that’s what you’ll be. If the world wants things to be difficult for you, you'll make it difficult for them, with loud bass licks and cigarettes in coffee and Disobedience.  
If they’ll call you a devil you’ll shout back in their face and you’ll play the drums and the bass and you’ll hide your heart (because if you weren’t who you thought you were, then why should anyone else **ever** know who you are?)

If they’ll call you the spawn of the pit, you’ll find your dad.  
Your real dad. (And at first you want to hate Gilear. You wanted to hate him because he left you. But you can’t because as much as you’re a tiefling, and as much as he hurt you and as much as your mother cheated, Gilear is still your dad. So you’ll hate your mom instead, because she lied  
Because she hurt you both.)

And if they’ll call you a devil, and foist expectations of what that means on you, you’ll take it and twist it and wrap it around yourself and show them all just how powerful they’ve made you by giving you the tools of rebellion and punk rock and hellish aesthetics and a loud presence and the fire that courses through you. 

And they can call you a devil but you’ll tell _them_ what it means.


End file.
